Doing better to decolonise societies

Every year on the 26th of January, I stand in disbelief at the commentary surrounding this day. This year I took the time to understand more, challenge myself and consider our individual roles in dismantling and decolonising our societies.

Greg Phillips’ article No republic without a soul: Exorcising the ghosts of colonialism is as relevant to the Australia Day conversation as it is the debate around Australia becoming a republic. While such decisions and debates are important symbolically, they do not represent the end of the actions we must take.

His article is a timely reminder that there is more we can all do after the protest footage and the social media posts have ended. By engaging in what Phillips refers to as ‘transformational unlearning’, we begin to understand how colonisation is “deployed daily in Australia through the values of whiteness – whiteness not being people’s ethnicity or their skin colour, but habitus or mindset.” And while “unlearning this belief system is a serious shock to one’s sense of self”, it’s something we all need to do.